Musical Malacostracans

A Malacostracan is any crustacean of the subclass Malacostraca, including lobsters, crabs, woodlice, sand hoppers and opossum shrimps.

In music a Crab Canon, is a canon in which the imitating voice repeats the notes of the theme in reverse order.

The name derives from the old mistaken belief that crabs walk backwards.

To hear an example pass your mouse over the musical notes below.

A mention must go to the video of 'I believe in a thing called love' by The Darkness which contains a giant four clawed crab.

Not as bizarre as it sounds as a three clawed crab (called Clarissa) was being exhibited at the Anglesey Sea Zoo, according to a BBC report in August 2002. As recently as June 2011 another three clawed crab was reported by the BBC (this time a Carcinus maenas).

Olly Murs new song "Thinking of Me" certainly has the X-Factor with the lyric "Remember when that crab came up and pinched your feet".

Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook) attended a wedding in 2011 where the groom was dressed as a crab (ah, if only my wife had let me do that!).